In Darkness, there's Comfort - Jevil - Deltarune fanfic
by pheo04
Summary: In spite of the invitation the Darkners and the entire kingdom received to join the above ground world, there are still a few left behind within the otherworldly caverns, lost, hopeless, or in Jevil's case, still locked up. Charlie, a human representative for the rights and acts of monsters, has traversed to find who's left. Spoilers, and eventual NSFW. This is a possible AU.
1. Chapter 1 - Exploration of darkness

We, as sentient, self-aware beings, constantly search for self-worth, a reason to move forward, to find meaning in a world balanced by light, and dark. The intellectual pursuit that one individual can be something such as "important", can often lead to the possible conclusion of quite the opposite; a blip, a grit of truth that wears down the soul, bringing bouts of depression and unhappiness, and occasional glimpses of the reality that most choose to hide from.

The halls were dark, and cold, and the black watch around her lean wrist beeped, as the numbers appeared in a sharp green light, cutting through the heavy atmosphere - 8:30pm. The soft light dispersed through the hallway she walked down, radiating from the low lit ceiling lights, gave a gentle, yellow glow, a comfort in comparison to the buzzing, and planning in the stranger's mind. She hummed a foreign, forgotten tune. No one knew what it was, and neither did she. The sound of her thick hiking boots playfully jumped off the walls, and hints of nostalgia and distraction were quickly pushed aside as she strolled, dark body hunched forward as if she could hide from no one that was there to watch her. The feeling of eyes never dissipated these days.

Charlie had heard of the darkners several times by this point, even before the new species of these creatures were discovered underground just weeks ago, stumbled upon by children no less. They were foreign, aggressive, and struggling with the acclimation to life above ground.

The interview with Susie was a week ago after the incident. A monster, perhaps a head shorter than Charlie, gave an inspiring, yet harsh rundown of what went down when her and the other child had pushed through the barrier in the closet - if that's what it was. Charlie was about to find out.

The boots stopped their soft clicking, just at the end of the foreboding hall Charlie traveled down, staring into the abyss, the gaping blackness of the caverns and entire world just a few yards beneath her feet. Unzipping the pocket on her dark jumpsuit, a phone was produced, followed by a dial and waiting seconds before a smoky, baritone voice spoke.

"You're there?"

"Yeah, confirming coordinates. I'm about to descend."

"Are you ready, Chuck? Headlamp ready?"

"I brought it, but I shouldn't need it, the kids maneuvered fine down there without any tools, it's almost amazing. I'm planning to be in, and out with him before midnight."

"This isn't some light job. We've still got a few people left down there, hostiles. No one's even gone to the damn prison cell yet for that nut job."

"I know, I'm doing that tonight."

"This isn't going to be an in and out procedure, kid. His files present he's armed, unstable-"

A sigh escaped Charlie, audible over the phone as the agitation set in standing in place, she was completely aware of the hell she was putting herself in. She raised her voice as she stepped forward, into the descending void ahead.

"Fuck, can I walk while we do this? I'm wasting time here. I read the specs. He has magic."

There was a gentle slope of Earth, a brownish/purple, soft and muddy by contact, causing Charlie to delicately step through. Placing a hand on the wall, her other hand continued the debate she was looking forward to ending so quickly.

"I get it, just dunno why they want him 'out' with the rest of the world?"

"We've talked about this. The data listed his reason for imprisonment was speculating and questioning things, I didn't catch reports of violence."

"The kids completely missed him, didn't they?"

Charlie was silent. They missed him, yes. Whomever locked him here did a good job of making it difficult to get him back out. She spoke.

"The other 'darkeners' are adjusting well with the programs, they also -just- got out, we can't leave anyone behind. If he's trapped down there, we have a job to do. I. Have a job to do."

"Okay. Reason with Jevil, you have the sedative if you need to use force."

"I'm the scariest thing here, relax. I need to go."


	2. Chapter 2 - Preparation for a Jester

She took in the sight of the world below opening before her, hues of blues on the cliff sides and terrain almost gave the illusion of a soft glow, rendering her need for extra light unnecessary. Absolutely beautiful. The glazed textures Charlie was in awe of as she climbed down a wall of a cavern. Her messy, bright blond hair, gathered the curls in a cluster of a bun on her head, as the humidity of the place set in and Charlie could instantly feel the weight of her hair and it expanding, almost as heavy as the silence around her. An aggravated sigh flowed from her lips, ignoring the humidity affecting her. The space, as she knew well by now, was well empty.

Dark, beautiful blueish hues of the terrain, and empty. In spite of the sensation of eyes crawling up her back, the rationale of adulthood proved to be the perfect aid to Charlie to ignore the feeling, her hand brushing gently against the front of her suit, with the pressure of her .45 glock providing comfort, followed by a skip of her heart. "Please, don't make me need this…" she spoke aloud to herself, to the forces that weren't really around her.

An hour passed, as Charlie finally approached the castle. "Okay…" She breathed, airlessly wording out her confirmation. Her jumpsuit had overheated her by this point, causing her to take a moment to partially unzip the front for the literal sake of air. Seconds after, the dark blue, medium hiker's backpack she had taken along dropped carelessly by her feet, as her lean frame bent down to examine the contents. "Jevil… Jevil…" she mumbled as she fumbled with her paperwork, as if studying once more for a test. She looked at drawings of him, the list of his inclinations to violence. "Why are you so special…" Charlie muttered at the image.

"I've stopped worse people than you. I've seen friends bleed out… You're nothing but lonely and feral." She folded the drawings and slid them back into designated folders, wandering around for what other information to brush up on that she could secretly procrastinate with. "Save him." She spoke, in a soft, hushed tone to herself. She leaned against the exterior wall of the castle, her jump suit being zipped mostly back up to her neck again. Images of classical concerts, the summer, it filled Charlie's mind. There was no turning back. She had interacted with more intimidating, horrendous rapists, serial killers, mythical creatures whom could rip a human in half. And Jevil would be a walk in the park. Maybe he would be grateful, elated for a second chance. She made a mental note of the local theatres, would a jester like that?


	3. Chapter 3 - The Descent for Freedom

How many warnings were received? Charlie's mind quelled in the present from the scolding, begging, threats she had been grievously given by one of the inhabitants of the dark world, Rouxls, against finding Jevil. A pompous ass, with an ego bigger than him. Her eyes narrowed at the imaginary conversations in her head, the things she should have said to Rouxls, the things she should have done for what he had said, royalty or not.

A map of the castle was produced, and Charlie sat on the cold, hard ground as she gazed through the map to figure out where Jevil's prison cell would be, however, her mind was now miles and days away from the moment. Her hands softly resting upon the paper, feeling the texture of earth beneath, unable to prepare her mind for this. Strands of loose hair dangled over her eyes.

Days earlier, -he- had burst into her office, outraged. On a literal level, as Charlie scribbled notes over Jevil, the normally sturdy, thick wooden door swung open, nearly falling off the hinges. Charlie, in more confusion then alarm, stood from her desk, that day wearing the long, watercolor textured dress that brushed her ankles, and flowed as she took in the sight. This figure, he towered over her, his voice was strong. Rouxls moved far too close to Charlie.

"Are thoust miss Charlotte? The young maiden who has takeneth charge over we mere darkeners? Dooming us all to a horrendous fate?!"

Charlie's eyes stared, as her brows furrowed into confusion, her hands lifted into a gesture that reflected this.

"Um.… hi. Please, call me Charlie-"

"Thoust governor hast informed me of your intentions, thou intendeth to release the devil unto us all!"

"Excuse me?"

Rouxls shook, his body language impatient with Charlie unable to catch up.

"The jester!"

Charlie's shoulders relaxed, as her eyes traveled to the ground.

"Ah, Jevil."

Rouxls had moved even closer to Charlie by this point, if that was even possible. His stark, dark blue skin was lovely, in spite of his panic, a weird detail Charlie couldn't understand pointing out to herself. Maybe, just any kind of distraction to steer away from this conversation. The skin colors of the dark world inhabitants were diverse, and beautiful, in spite of the culture shock many of them suffered.

"Thoust has liberated us from the black hell already, we haveth eternal gratitude for your work, and I implore you now, I grovel, the Jester MUST stay where he is now."

Charlie shifted her weight to one foot, unmoving. She met Rouxls' eyes and with conviction calmly replied.

"Why? Because he's unstable? Half of your folk coming up here have needed counseling and acclimating. And that's my job, I'm here to help you all. We've got stragglers left behind, and I'm not leaving him."

"Thoust are making the grand of mistakes. I first hand witnessed his descent to insanity; the most crystal truth is in that cell, is NOT a darkener. I don't know what he is anymore beyond the essence of death and chaos."

"Yeah, I talked to Seam."

Charlie took a seat at her desk again, her mind already made up. And Rouxls knew this.

"The jester has talked of dark actions for the world, would he be granted freedom again. He threatened his own kingdom, and you're going to just give him what he wants?"

Charlie's elbows rested on her desk as she leaned forward and listened to him, before speaking.

"I don't plan on giving him what he wants. Like the rest of you, I hope to give him the tools he needs. He needs help. Roulx, someone went to Jevil and.. Something happened."

"Yes! And he hath too great of a power, and the lives around him are trinkets for him to break for his joy! His energy and magic is dark. The Jester can't function in a world like what thoust has built, you must leave him to his fate, he is meant to rot for his dangerous perspective of life."

"No, you're not listening. Someone did something to him. I don't know what, you don't know what. But from what I understand, I think he can be reached out to." Charlie picked up an outline of Jevil from her desk, seconds before speaking again. "I know being in the cell, by himself, isn't going to help. It goes against everything I stand for, and worked for this entire time. He can't sustain himself and we're losing time. I assure you, my team and I will handle this."

"Thoust 'team'? The comrades? Where is thoust mind?! Haveth thou no brain in that skull, covered so messily mind you in that rubbish of hair? You are a small peon, a speck of human, thoust team will fail, this world thou hath struggle, yet failed to maintain, the weak foundation thou are claiming to so well, will set ablaze, and thoust will sit upon the embers and have no one to blame but Charlotte for this!"

Charlie opened her mouth to speak up before the door slammed, leaving her alone in the room, buzzing with air of tension. Rays of sunlight peered through, dust particles dancing in the air, carrying the memory. She fiddled with her ears, rubbing them with her index finger and thumb as she stared into nothing, sitting on his words. Days after that, she received phone call after phone call from Rouxls, threats, nightmares, belittling her intelligence for her poor choices. He had done a proper job stirring the pot and putting finding Jevil on hold, delaying the process another week or so. He adamantly continued, right up to the day she walked out the door after probably her 12th debriefing of Jevil's demeanor and worst case scenarios, what he was capable of, etc. etc.

Here Charlie was now, carrying sedatives, maps, research on the history of darkeners and lighteners, a book or two on the nature of royalty and what Jevil may have been like before he was altered; kicking herself for allowing anyone to cause her to question herself, a tendency that never followed Charlie on any other day. Fiddling with a case in her pocket, Charlie opened the plastic container, glanced at the encased needle carrying the solution, a faint clear liquid resting inside the small cylinder connected to the needle, a faint blue color within the otherwise clear liquid. Drugging was an option, sometimes there were side effects, and hopefully she wouldn't need to use this at all. Hell, she could snap his neck before he realized what was happening. But those days, those grim days, Charlie gave up years ago. No one deserved to die anymore.

As the stroll through the castle carried on, it was almost serene how empty it was, a museum lost in history, in spite of the liberation being just weeks earlier. Cobwebs began to collect already, the open and barren walls reflecting the sounds of Charlie's boots, no furniture or soul to absorb the sounds in sight. She knew exactly where to go. Charlie, she had been down here several times, coaxing, making speeches to, attempting to inspire the darkeners for coexistence, and embrace the freedom of living on the surface. She had spent half of her entire life studying, preparing for those moments. Moments that would take work from all sides; darkeners, monsters, humans. Costing nights of sleep, peace of mind. And Charlie wouldn't have changed it for anything. Charlie, in the open space of the shops, homes, abruptly, almost inhumanly, scaled a few walls to other floors and rooms for any other lost souls.

With nothing left, the last ditch effort to scour for any last affiliates finished, Charlie flew down the stairs to the elevator, and took the ride down, down, down, ignoring the temptation of the stairs to take the long way. The hum of the elevator carried on for several moments, with her hands on the railing and staring into space, mental preparation in the works, rehearsing in her head what she would say to Jevil.

The still-functioning elevator ceased, reaching the bottom, very bottom of the castle. It was time.


	4. Chapter 4 - A soft voice of Tenor

Charlie had long left her apprehension at the castle door, no room left for doubt, as she stared at the huge, oversized, almost blackened wooden door. This was it. Charlie, backpack still in tow, loudly approached the door, attempting not to startle anyone inside. After giving the cased needle in her pocket a good fidget to ensure its existence, she politely, yet urgently, knocked on the door. "Hello? Is anyone there?" Her fist remained hovering in front of the door for a moment before letting it rest to her side, shoulders tense as she waited. Moments passed of silence, this moment could be the most anti-climactic yet. Her head turned to the wall, as she leaned her head in almost to touch the door, listening. "Jevil?" Another moment passed. "My name is Charles Olsen. I'm a representative of the human and monsters rights group. You can call me Charlie. Are you there?"

Charlie was never one for patience. She had just dropped her back to open and look for a lockpick, when a voice called from within the door. "Charles?" The voice was soft, in the range between tenor and baritone, as if he hadn't used his voice in ages. "Hello?!" She called back through the door.

"Boo hoo hoo! Is someone truly there? After so long, long! Have I been blessed with the sweet company of a passerby? Hee hee!"

Charlie smiled, her hand on the door. "Yes! Jevil, I'm here. You can call me Charles."

"Hee hee hee, why hello there, young passerby! Lo, you know of me?"

Charlie repeated her origins for her activism for the rights of humans and monsters. "Most darkeners have left, Jevil. They're above ground, on the surface."

"Oh my! What a joyous chain of reactions, Charles!"

"I've arrived to get you out. You've served your time, and we're moving everyone to the surface, where the sun is, and all the people are. Would you like that?"

"Oh yes! Yes! Yes, you can cure the loneliness I suffer from! We could all play a game, game. Charles? You're called Charles?"

Charlie nodded, imagining this joyous, polite little fellow asking her face to face. "Yes." She stopped herself for a moment. "Jevil. Can I ask you a series of questions?"

"My dearest lady, ask me anything, anything that comes to the mind! In my loneliness, I've grown so funny, and have craved a moment like this for so long, long! Hee hee!"

Charlie narrowed her brows, unsure how to jump into this. "I need to stress to you, I'm here to help. How are you… feeling?"

"Oh, Charles!" She heard him exclaim, his voice almost singing. "I have never felt more eager to play! That's all I want, I want someone to play with."

"I understand. I'm here to help and acclimate you back with the rest of the world, out of isolation. Do you understand that?"

"Ohhh yes. You know of me, and you know why I was locked up here, don't you?"

His voice sounded almost mocking. She responded immediately. "Yes. You didn't actually cause bodily harm to anyone, yet you were locked away?"

"Oh heavens, yes! My eyes were simply opened to the truth, the futility of our lives and bodies. I shared my ideology, and was put away! I am a being of innocence. Here you are now as a testament to that very fact, breathing life, into a body I felt had been asleep for ages. I might just be dreaming, dreaming!"

"Do you feel well enough to cohabitate with others?"

"Why, yes, yes! I am eager for the end of this loneliness! I wish I could express what I yearn for!"

"Are you armed?"

"Oh heavens, heavens. I most readily am not. Armed with being so clever, clever! Nothing more!"

"Do you remember who you are? And what your affiliation was before imprisonment?"

"Yes! I was a jester, jester! A great joy I had; bringing and sharing joy with others! Their laughter, filled me with purpose, Charlie."

Charlie checked for the sedative deep in her jumpsuit once more, unsure she would need it by this point; this individual was a little eccentric, but holding a coherent conversation. She began busying herself with the contents in her bag as the creature on the other side spoke in his lyrics, searching for her lockpick. Jevil spoke again to her.

"If you don't mind my mind wandering, I have never met a woman named Charles. Charles…"

Charlie scoffed, pulling out the kit, a short assemblage and she could begin. "Well, it's just a nickname."

"Ohhhhh! Hee hee hee. A nickname. A wonderful name."

"Thank you."

"May I ask, Charles… May I ask, is that your real name?"

"Oh, uhm. Well…" She stuttered. "Charlotte is my real name."

She heard a hum of his voice, as she examined the lock. "Charlotte…"

"Yeah, Charles is a better name, though. Or Charlie." Jevil laughed.

"Ohhh yes, yes, my dearest Charles."

There were clicks and clanks within the mechanism as a moment of silence followed, Charlie focused as she fiddled the thin metal tools within. She heard Jevil speak up again.

"You're from… above? A princess, by the name of Charles, sent from above to liberate my loneliness."

Charlie dropped one of her metal tools on the ground, letting out a huff.

"Oh! No no no, just an ordinary person."

"You sound like a princess. Charles, you sound like a princess who sings, sings to those only while they dream."

Charlie smiled at the compliment, a nice aversion to the frustration of dealing with this damn lock. "Ah. You're too kind."

A moment passed, and Jevil must have heard her frustration. He spoke through the door soothingly. "Are you alright?"

Charlie stood from the door, her hands brushing together as she looked back at the door. "Jevil, I'm going to need another way to open the door. Hang on."

"Hee hee hee, a determined Charles! Goodness, goodness. You don't know the depths of my anticipation to see you! Do you have the broken keys?"

"No, they've long since disappeared. Everything was cleared out, I've looked for them, but nothing. You've… been in here for a while. Is there a lot of space in your cell?"

"Why yes, yes…"

Opening the bag further, Charlie dove her hands in to pull out a sleek, black helmet, setting on the soft, dark ground, before turning back to the bag for more contents. "Okay, I'm going to need you to move back, alright? I'm going to try to blow off the door."

"Goodness! How exciting my day has turned, from so dreary and quiet! Charles' determination is vast, vast! Hee hee hee, I will do whatever you ask."

Charlie assembled a clever bomb stick right on the ground near the hinges. Now wearing her helmet, she completed her set up and suit up before calling loudly to Jevil. "Okay, you're away from the door, Jevil? I'm ready whenever you are."

"I am, I am! I will remain still and away at your whim!"

Charlie set up her leather gloves, and lit the pile of danger, leaping as far away as possible. An explosion rang throughout the hall, almost deafening as Charlie covered her head in a crouch. Seconds passed before Charlie stood, turning to the results. The door had now been broken, blown completely off its hinges and leaning against the wall clumsily, a space now visible into Jevil's prison cell. She considered taking off her helmet, but decided to leave it on a moment longer, calling out to the darkness. "Jevil? It's safe, now. Are you okay?" Through the helmet, she could see inside the cell from the gap, taking a breath and slowly wedging herself through inside.


End file.
